Sheet stock and the manufacture of pen points



L. J. MOST April 11, 1939.

SHEET STOCK AND THE MANUFACTURE OF PEN' POINTS Filed Dec. 24, 1935 FIG. I.

FIGS.

INT ERRUPT ER Patented Apr. 11, 1939 PATENT OFFICE SHEET STOCK AND THE MANUFACTURE OF PEN POINTS Lucifer J. Most, Arlington, N. J., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Metals & Controls Corporation, Attlcboro, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 24, 1935, Serial No. 56,038

80laims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of pen points, and with regard to certain more specific features, to a novel form of sheet stock from which pen points are formed.

The present invention is in the nature of an improvement over the invention described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No.

I 718,384, filed March 31, 1934.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a sheet stock of the class described wherein provision is made for the formation, on the ultimate pen point, of a tip of hard alloy in such form that it provides, without further manufacturing operation, a suitable writing polnt; the provision of a sheet stock of the class described which, when manufactured into pen points, permits the mechanical production of pen points in quantities with uniform characteristics, and which substantially eliminates the human element from the procedure of manufacturing; the provision, on a pen point of the class described, of a preformed substantially ball-shaped writing tip of hard material; and the provision of a method of manufacturing pen points of the class described which is cheaper to carry through than prior analogous methods.

* Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, steps and sequence of steps, features of construction, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the structures and methods hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which are illustrated several of various possible embodiments of the invention, I

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a pen point;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of one form of sheet stock;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet'stock of Fig. 2, showing a layout for the stamping of pen points therefrom;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section of the sheet stock of Fig. 2; g

Fig. 5 is a cross section similar to Fig. 4 illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 6 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating another alternative embodiment of the invention; and,

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a method of manufacturing sheet stock embodying the present invention.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing. I

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, numeral I indicates generally a pen point of the type commonly used in fountain pens. By the use only of prior-art instrumentalities, such pen points can be manufactured only by a series of individual, distinct operations such as the following sequence:

1. A preliminary blank is cut from a gold or other metal sheet.

2. The bead or tip of hard alloy metal is attached. This is usually accomplished by fusing the head or tip with a blow-torch, and results in the softening of the blank.

3. The metal of the body of the pen point is then too soft and the blank must be separately re-rolled to acquire the proper temper.

4. The re-rolled preliminary blank is next cut or trimmed to the'shape of the final blank.

5. The pen points are individually stamped to shape and pierced.

6. The pen points are individually formed.

7. The pen points are individually slit for the ink channel, each point requiring individual atpoints, which stock contains a strip of hard alloy properly positioned so that the pens may be blanked from the sheet with the writing point being taken from the strip. Thus, the individual operations of fusing the bead 3 to the pen points can be eliminated and in view of the uniformity of the sheet stock, the manufacture of the pen points can be performed in the automatic manner that is now used in the manufacture of steel pen points. Thus by the use of a sheet stock as proposed in said prior application, the labor cost in the manufacture of pen points is reduced while at the same time, a more uniform and therefore superior product, results.

There is one diiiiculty in the use of the invention set forth in my said prior application. This difiiculty resides in the fact that, while the pen as blanked has the hard metal writing tip p0si tioned therein, said writing tip is not most advantageously shaped simply as the result of the blanking operation to present the most advantageous writing point. For example, the blanking operation leaves the tip with sharp, angular edges which are likely to dig in the paper unless they are first ground into the proper balllike shape and then smoothed. Such grinding and smoothing operations are customarily accomplished only by individually handling the blanked pen points, and this introduces an undesirable labor factor into the manufacturing cost.

The present invention is similar to the invention of my aforesaid application in that it presents a sheet stock with the hard metal already associated therewith, so that the pen as blanked from the sheet stock contains the hard metal writing tip. However, it differs from my aforesaid application in that the hard metal is provided in the present application in such a shape that no grinding operation is required and only a light smoothing operation is necessary on the pen points after they are blanked from the sheet stock. Thus, by using the present invention, a still further saving in labor cost in the manufacture of pen points is accomplished.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate one embodiment of sheet stock made in accordance with the present invention. Numeral 5 indicates a sheet or long strip of thin metal, which is ultimately to form the body of the pen points. Numeral 1 indicates a wire of metal which is to form the writing tip of the pen points, and which is welded or soldered down the strip 5 between its edges. If the sheet stock is to be used for the manufacture of high grade pens, it comprises a gold alloy of suitable fineness, or a suitable gold plated stock. The wire I is formed of whatever hard metal (such as iridium, or other metals of the platinum group, or alloys thereof) which is desired for the writing tip of pens. However, it is to be noted that the particular materials which form the strip 5 and the wire 1 are not of great importance in connection with the present invention. The present invention for example, is of great utility in the manufacture even of common steel pen points in which event the strip 5 may be of steel, such as stainless steel, while the wire 1 is of some rela-' tively harder metal which is more durable as the Writing point.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view indicating how the individual pen points are blanked from the sheet stock. It will be seen that the writing tips are so positioned that they are formed from a section of the wire 7. Because of the shape of the wire i, this means that the tips will have a cylindrical surface. This type of surface closely corresponds to a ball, which is acknowledged to be the most advantageous form for the writing tip.

In Fig. 3, for the sake of clarity in illustration, the writing tips of the blanks are shown as considerably wider than they actually would be made in practice, relative to the other dimensions of the blank.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view illustrating how the wire 1 is afllxed or secured to the sheet stock or strip 5. Numeral 9 indicates the region of the joint between the wire and the strip. This joint may be made of a suitable solder, or it may comprise metal from the wire I or the strip 5 autogeneously joining the two together. A convenient method of securing the wire I to the strip 5 is indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 7. This comprises a method using a strip-welding apparatus, which comprises a pair of pressure rollers H and I3. The rollers H and I3 are connected in an electrical circuit, in series with a source of power I5 and a circuit interrupter l1. As indicated in Fig. 7, the sheet 5 and wire 1 are fed together between the rollers II and IS. The current intermittently heats the juxtaposed wire and strip, and welds them together in a substantially continuous spot-welding.

Fig. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein the wire 1, instead of being of a full circular cross section is semi-circular in cross section.

Still a further embodiment of the invention. and one which comes closest to achieving a true ball-point on the blanked pens, is shown in Fig. 6. Here the wire 1 is of general semi-circular cross section, as in the Fig. 5 embodiment, but it is beaded to form a series of spaced, substantially hemispherical beads IS. The beads I! are spaced from each other at a proper distance so that upon subsequent stamping the blanks from the sheet stock, they are located at the tips of the blanks. It is to be noted that with this form of the invention it is desirable that there be a coordination between the operation of the dies for the blanking operation and the longitudinal positioning of the sheet stock in the blanking machine so that the blanking die does not split one of the beads I9 through its center.

It will be seen that pen points blanked from the Fig. 6 stock are thus automatically provided with a ball writing point.

Because the hard metal that is to constitute the writing tip 01 the pen point is already in proper shape and position on the composite sheet, automatic manufacturing operations may be employed. Contrasted to the long list of necessarily manual operations set forth above, pen points may be manufactured from the sheet stock of the present invention in the following fully automatic operations:

1. Blanking, forming, piercing, and stamping the pen points with progressive dies.

2. slitting the pen points.

3. Smoothing the pen points.

The saving in labor is very good.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A sheet stock for the manufacture of pen points comprising a relatively broad area of a metal of a character adapted to constitute the body of the pen points and a wire oi another metal of a character adapted to constitute the tip of the pen points rigidly secured along the face of said broad area of metal.

2. A sheet stock for the manufacture of pen points comprising a relatively broad area of a metal of a character adapted to constitute the body of the pen points and a wire of another metal of a character adapted to constitute the tip of the pen points rigidly secured along the face of said broad area of metal, said wire having a circular cross section.

3. A sheet stock for the manufacture of pen points comprising a relatively broad area of a metal of a character adapted to constitute the body of the pen points and a wire of another metal of a character adapted to constitute the tip of the pin points rigidly secured along the face of said broad area of metal, said wire having a semi-circular cross section.

4. A sheet stock for the manufacture of pen points comprising a relatively broad area of a metal of a character adapted to constitute the body of the pen points and a wire of another metal of a character adapted to constitute the tip of the pen points rigidly secured along the face of said broad area of metal, said wire being beaded along its length.

5. The method of manufacturing pen points having relatively hard-metal writing tips com.- prising providing a sheet stock in the form of a sheet of metal adapted to become the body of the pen point with a wire of relatively hard metal adapted to become the writing tip of the pen point secured along a surface ofv said sheet, blanking the pen point from said stock in such manner that the body thereof is taken from said sheet and the writing tip is simultaneously taken from said wire, and thereafter merely slitting and polishing the writing tip in order to bring it to final, usable form.

6. A sheet stock adapted to be manufactured into pen points comprising a relatively broad area of thin, resilient metal adapted to constitutethe bodies of the pen points, and a narrow stripe of relatively harder metal adapted to constitute the final writing tips of the pen points rigidly secured to the said area,said stripe having a cross section such that it projects beyond the surface of the aforesaid broad area.

7. A sheet stock adapted to be manufactured into pen points comprising a relatively broad area of thin, resilient metal adapted to constitute the bodies of the pen points, and a narrow stripe of relatively harder metal adapted to constitute the final writing tips of the pen points rigidly secured to the said area, said stripe having a cross section-such that it projects beyond the surface of the aforesaid broad area, said projecting cross section being generally semi-circular.

8. The method of manufacturing pen points having relatively hard-metal writing tips comprising providing a sheet stock in the form of a sheet of metal adapted to become the body of the pen point with a stripe of relatively harder metal adapted to become the final writing tip of the pen point secured thereto, said stripe having a cross section such that it projects beyond the h surface of the sheet metal, blanking the pen point from said stock in such manner that the body thereof is taken from said sheet metal and the writing tip is simultaneously taken from said stripe metal, the projecting stripe providing excess thickness in the region of said writing tip in the blanked pen point, and thereafter merely shaping, slitting and polishing the writing tip in order to bring it to final, usable form.

woman J. near. 

